Melbourne will continue hosting the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix until at least 2035 under a blockbuster new 10-year deal to keep the race at Albert Park.
Formula 2 and Formula 3 will also join the Melbourne undercard from next season for the first time in the event’s history.
The grand prix’s current contract was due to expire in 2025, but the Victorian government announced this morning another 10 years would be added to the deal to take the race well into the next decade.
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“The race has always been a favourite for the fans, drivers and the teams and Melbourne is an incredible and vibrant international city that is a perfect match for our sport,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “This year we saw huge crowds and passionate fans at the grand prix, and we are very excited by the future in Australia as our sport continues to grow.”
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott hinted at the race’s growing standing in Asia. Australia is Asia’s equal longest serving destination along with Japan, and the Australian Grand Prix is the equal ninth most run active grand prix in Formula 1 history.
“This is a sensational announcement that is simply great for Melbourne and Victoria,” he said. “It builds on our rich motorsport history as well as Melbourne’s love of big sporting events and provides aspiration to the next generation of Aussie racing stars.
“We’re proud of our strong relationship with Formula 1 and together we will grow the sport in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region.”
Formula 1 is yet to confirm its 2023 schedule, but the Australian Grand Prix is unlikely to resume its previously traditional place at the start of the season. A late March or early April date as the third or fourth round paired with another race in Asia is probable, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia likely to open the 2023 campaign before Ramadan starts on 22 March.
The F1 calendar is normally announced in the final quarter of the previous year.
Australia’s contract extension comes off the back of a record-breaking 419,000-strong crowd at this year’s grand prix, the first Down Under since the pandemic.
It was the biggest ever attendance for a grand prix in Melbourne and the biggest crowd at a Formula 1 weekend anywhere in the world in almost three decades, eclipsed only by the 520,000 people who attended Adelaide’s swan song race in 1995.
The Australian Grand Prix’s popularity reflects the sport’s significant boost in global popularity in recent years, attributable to the hit Drive to Survive series and last year’s nailbiting championship season decided on the final lap of the last race.
F1 reported a worldwide cumulative television audience of 1.55 billion viewers for 2021 and almost half a billion unique viewers throughout the year.
The 2035 season will mark the 39th anniversary of the grand prix moving to Melbourne, albeit it will be only the 38th championship round held at Albert Park thanks to the two years skipped due to the pandemic.
Formula 1 has also secured an agreement from Australian race organisers to upgrade paddock and pit lane facilities. Though the pit lane was widened and resurfaced along with the rest of the track for this year’s event, the pit building itself was constructed ahead of the first race in 1996. The temporary team hospitality and office units were last updated in 2019.
The 2019 Australian Grand Prix cost Victorian taxpayers $61 million. Accounts for 2022 event, the first since the pandemic outbreak, won’t be published until the end of the financial year.